|the naive rebel|
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xx| In or I
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word count- 2363
So, we reach the last chapter of phase I and
WE HIT 5K VIEWS AND I AM LEGIT SO HAPPY!! WHEN I DECIDED TO WRITE THE BOOK, I wasnt honestly sure, how it will be taken cause majority of books I had come across in our Indian Fictions is of Marriage Drama. THANK YOU! for showering this book of mine with so much love!!
I am grateful to y'll♥️
Also, this chapter is dedicated to sukorxcrazy
Happiest Birthday Girl!❤️
Do read the A/N at the end please :-)
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INAAYAT
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Darkness.
All I can feel is darkness, a spine chilling blindness cocooning me wholly. I feel sore, anguished. My skull throbs, my throat is charred and my stomach churns.
I feel squandered. Drunk on suffering, a wave of corrupt blackness ratifies over me and I am drowning...drowning into the deepest trench of black waters.
I try grasping for air desperately, my legs feel hefty and paralysed. I strive to quell the cloudiness, yearning to succeed, to be able to live.
I feel sudden coercion on my eyes, while I strife to open them, but they don't budge. I scramble my feet, tugging and pushing them. Kicking the air, grappling and fighting.
I try again and this time there is a sudden agonising glow. But I lose it before I can envelop it.
And...there is darkness again.
"Aah," my dry throat croaks.
I finally open my eyes, the sharp luminosity hurts me. I combat the pain to keep them open. A sudden yellow light blinds my eyes and I move my head to the right.
Pitch black. The place I am in is completely murky, the only source of light is the amber old bulb swaying over me.
I attempt bringing my hands forth, to rub my eyes- to wipe away the drowsiness. But, they are pulled back with searing pain. My stiff neck allows me to turn a little and I notice my hands being locked by metallic chains.
Handcuffs.
The metal tightly bounds around my wrists and is chained to the hook nailed on the wall. I tug my hands harder against the metal but it leaves me withering in pain.
I shift and move, shove my legs. Pushing them harder I sit up with my back sloping on the wall my hands are fastened to. My arms ache as they lie in an uncomfortable position.
I look around, struggling to guess the place I am in but all I receive is emptiness.
"You are awake," a rough voice echoes in the vacant room. I move my head to see the source of the sound but the excruciating lime hued light prevents me from seeing the figure leaning across the room.
"Who are you?" I manage to spew, infuriated at the man who had tied me.
"Don't you dare use that tone," he commands and I can see the figure shifting and striding forward but the subtle darkness shields his face.
"Now...tell me who are you, Aayat Mishra?" The voice questions as the familiarity slowly seep in.
My gaze is on the man's silhouette, as he walks closer. The amber light finally able to unmask his face.
"You?" I angrily point, for some reason, I am not shocked, instead, I feel anger simmering inside of me.
"Yes, me." His face is bare of any reactions. He stands there with his one hand tucked inside his jeans' pocket, looking at me with suspicion filled eyes.
"What if I repeat the same question, who are you?" I sneer at him.
A dark chuckle leaves his mouth, his eyes exploring my helplessness with an unadulterated amusement.
"Between us, you are the one tied, Aayat. You think you have the superiority to challenge me?" He comments, bringing the gun he is holding to my notice. The silver polished weapons manage to shine its glory in the gloominess.
"Let us skip all this bullshit and focus on the main topic. What the fuck were you doing at the club?"
"Why should I answer you?" I reply glaring at him. He tsk's and kneels on the ground.
The cool metallic substance against my sweaty forehead doesn't manage to help my misery. I try maintaining my cool but I know how confused and scared I am at this moment.
He shakes his head in disapproval, "If you don't answer now, the bullet is going to pass right through this empty skull of yours."
"And unlike you, I know how to use the gun." He mocks and I realise that he was present at the club. He did see my exchange with those inebriated men.
"So you are with the gang," I conclude. My father's genes in me are finally activated as I try solving the case even when my life is at risk.
"We are not playing twenty questions here. You do realise that I can fucking kill you-right here, right now."
"Can you stop swearing? It's irritating." My mind is taking its own sweet time to process the sudden transformation his character has gone through in a single day.
The person who used to apologise after using the word shit is now swearing as if it is his first language. I closely observe the changes he had gone through since morning-the rugged bearded face is now replaced with a little stubble.
The sharpness of his jaw and the maturity on his face comes into notice for the first time. His lips shape into an amused smirk while I am busy scrutinising him.
"What happened to your- 'How do you survive them.' advice?" He recites the sentence I remember saying.
"Untie me," I command.
Rolling his eyes at me, "God, are you really this dumb or-"
"You-"
"Mind your tongue. I should have let you die at the club itself especially after seeing the circus you had put up there."
"I would have preferred death over this,"
"Yeah right. Open that gob of yours and tell me why were you there?"
"You wish." I scoff.
He takes an angered sigh and rakes a hand through his hair. His eyes hold a sudden ignited rage as he continues darting me with his pointed glare.
"Your real name." He starts, "And don't you dare mess with me, now. I assure you, your one sarcastic comment will cost you your life." His voice sends a string of chills along the length of my spine.
I open my mouth to defy him but pause before I comment anything. The commanding tone and the sheath of vexation in his eyes, telling me to deal this matter carefully.
"Inaayat," I reply in a low defeated tone.
"So smart. Entering a college with a new name and see the height of laziness. The new name with just two letters dropped from the original."
"Can you stop your snarky comments? I don't remember asking you for your inputs."
"No, I won't. What possibly will you do?"
"I'll call the police." I retort.
Yeah, for sure. Your hands are tied. But yeah, you can call.
"Call," he casually adds.
"Where are the other members of your group?" I ask remembering how close I was in finding those culprits but the police never reached on time and I am tied up by this man.
"Your foolishness helped them in escaping. So, now you are coming along with me..."
"Where?"
"Do you even realise that you are the one who is held hostage and I am not? You won't get answers to any of your questions."
He comments and starts leaning a little forward. His words die in a mere whisper and I try understanding his next move. My eyes look at his orbs and his face nears mine. It's dark yet I can see him clearly, now. He moves a little past me, his arms wrapping around my body in a circle as he unhooks the handcuffs.
"The lioness is a cat now," he softly speaks.
"And, now time to leave." He says and moves away quickly. My hands are no more attached to the wall but are still cuffed.
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If I tell you that he had legit pushed me inside his car, trust me I ain't lying. I am now sitting in his car trying to decipher our location. Once we had left the black room, I had tried to run away but he had simply thrown me over his shoulders and then pushed me in the car.
"You are going to regret this!" I warn.
"Cool," He retorts with his eyes still on the road.
Who is he? Is he with the gang? Is related to the murderer or wait, is he the murderer?
"Stop staring at me."
I experience a deja vu, the same line, the same person, just two completely different scenarios.
"Oh God, Inaayat stop staring at me."
"What is your real name?" I question this time and there is a flash of a sudden amusement on his face.
"I am smart and unlike you, I use my real name in the college. They help me fetch real legal documents." He informs and it does make sense.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Back to the twenty questions are we?"
"I can't promise. They can exceed twenty."
"Impossible."
"The police will be on their way, you are going to land yourself in trouble if you are planning on something wrong. They know about my whereabouts, they won't leave you."
"How experienced are you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Working with the police.." he trails and waits for me to continue.
"Uhm-very experienced."
"Yeah, that was quite visible at the club. Throwing heel at the goon, firing bullets with your eyes closed, standing there numb instead of running away. Very experienced."
"Stop acting like you know everything, okay?"
"Inaayat, you are with the police." He says.
"Yes."
"But I am an officer myself."
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He finally stops the car in front of a huge glass building something that looked like an office and similar to my dad's headquarters.
Where have I landed myself?
But, they aren't the same. He tugs me out of the car and guides me to the entrance of the building when a man in a grey and black suit appears before us.
"Good evening," He greets the man and then we are shown our way to a segregated cabin. The cabin is huge and is decorated pleasingly. The awards and various medals are arranged on the shelves while the working desk has a computer with some photos and many files scattered.
"So I am assuming that you have met." The suited man looks at my cuffed hands and stifles a laugh.
Laugh - laugh.
"Ishaan-" The man starts and I jerk my neck to my side to pointedly stare at the person who had handcuffed me.
What did he say?
I am smart unlike you.
The man fails to notice my glare and continues, "Ishaan, she is Inaayat, Taraj's daughter. She is working on the suicide cases in the college."
"Why wasn't I informed about her? I mistook her
as a-"
"I know." The officer interrupts him and then turns to look at me. "There are two branches of crime and they don't work in coordination. Taraj's team coordinates with the other branch. While we deal with the other cases. Today, when Inaayat had messaged Taraj about the emergency, he had notified us about this."
"Your father couldn't reach here because he got stuck in traffic. He informed our branch for extra back up but before we could reach, Ishaan was already there." The officer informs.
"So, Ishaan-" I start but Shaan passes me a venomous look and I don't complete my sentence.
"It's Shaan." He corrects me.
"But he called you-"
"Shaan." He repeats.
"You-"
"Ishaan, I want to talk to her." The man intervenes.
"I'll be outside, Sir."
"Inaayat, I am Officer D.S Pandey." He introduces himself and I pass a kind smile in return.
"Ishaan is one of the most reputed officers in our department. He's your senior, Inaayat -irrespective of you both disguising as students of the same age. He has been working behind this drug racket for the past three years, he is undercover for almost two years now. It isn't easy for him to be with students and act like them when he has grown out of that stage. And, possibly with you in the frame now and handling the suicides. He will have to be there for a longer time."
"But Sir, I don't want his help-"
He chuckles and smiles at me, "Inaayat, I know him very well. Even if he is frustrated to the core, he will never back off from his duty. Taraj told me how you think there's a connection between the drug racket and the suicides and after discussing it with both the branches we have finally decided that from now on both Ishaan and you are going to handle the case, together."
"Oh," I say as he nods at me. I turn to leave when he stops me, "Inaayat, he is way more experienced than you. Trust him and I know you both will solve the case." He assures me and I finally leave, muttering a thank you.
I leave the cabin and move towards the exiting corridor only to find Shaan leaning on the wall adjacent to the exit door.
"Ishaan-" I start and he again interrupts me.
"I told you. My name is Shaan."
"Can you stop?" I start telling him about the officer's plan when he tells me that he is already aware.
"So Mr Smart I-Shaan, our first mission as a team is tomorrow. Be ready." I inform him, smiling widely.
"Wait, what?"
"We are stealing the exam's question paper tomorrow night. All the best." I innocently inform him and exit the office.
"What the fuck." I hear him swearing while I leave.
•
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Hey!
So now you completely know the lead.
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until the next time,
Keep dodging the bullets.
ऊ.